The Two Urchins in a Coat should be called Mr. Longshanks or "Oy", when protestors show up they'll (Mr. Longshanks) be protected by their fellow Urchins by a rain of pamphlets from above or you know, throwing rocks or Wild Words.

Two of my 1895 suggestions that never went anywhere: His Amused Lordship and the Topsy King. I think they're worth a reconsideration as we didn't have a classic Society candidate or a Chaos candidate last time around. His Amused Lordship just seems like a natural fit to the position. What recommends the Topsy King is that we haven't yet had a candidate from the Flit, despite it being such an important part of London (the Topsy King running would also make way more sense than an urchin - he has higher name recognition, he's complex, he's an adult).

For a More Lordly London: His Amused Lordship for Mayor

1. His Amused Lordship is a knowledgeable, ambitious and visionary gentleman. He no doubt has many fine plans for London and, being independently wealthy, the means to run for mayor. An election story-line would also further flesh out his character. Right now all we really know about his interests is that he's a member of the Dilmun club and obsessed with the Mountain of Light. As with Jenny and the Contrarian, there must be more to him then that.

2. He moves in very distinguished circles: the Implacable Detective, the Bishop of St. Fiacre, and that towering figure of sophistication and propriety, the Captivating Princess. His campaign would therefore have an abundance of supporting characters to call upon.

3. He is not afraid to condescend to the more interesting members of London's lower classes, such as the player character and the Sardonic Music Hall Singer. So he has that &quotpopular touch&quot that elections require and the Bohemian connections that Jenny exploited so successfully.

4. He has done, and is planning to do, great things for Neathy science. So his campaign could serve to bring some of the University's more palatable discoveries and ideas before the public in the form of proposals for their utilization toward the city's benefit.

5. After the last few elections, the great and the good will no doubt desperately want one of their own to achieve the office, and His Lordship would be the most obvious choice.

*from Society's perspective, anyway.

For a More...Interesting London: Tristram Bagley for Mayor

1. Despite having a big role in Heart's Desire, there is still a lot we do not know about him, his past, and his vision for London. A mayoral campaign would help expand his character beyond &quottragic former composer turned crime lord who gibbers madly on the roof.&quot

2. Bagley is already a sort of self-appointed Mayor (well, King) of the Flit, the top clandestine meeting place for urchins, spies, criminals, anarchists, police informants, cats and society members who have gone slumming. So he has some experience in local government and the balancing of competing interest groups. He also already has a rudimentary political organization in the form of the Raggedy Men and a small fortune in stolen paintings through which he could finance his campaign.

3. The Topsy King is a mad artist, specifically a mad composer. In the 19th century composers were badass!! A mad Neathy composer seeped in and driven mad by the Correspondence is even more so.! We have no idea how he'll run, what he'll run on, or how he'll communicate his message. But whatever he does, it would be very avant garde. During the last election we pretty much knew what the candidates would be running on just from seeing their posters. The Bagley campaign would be a genuine mystery, not least because the candidate himself would communicate entirely in ciphers and pantomime.

4. London's rooftops are their own separate world: poor, impoverished, and largely ignored by street level London. They are also a place of power, seeped in Correspondence knowledge and otherworldly secrets. The Chimney Pot Wars revealed that the Urchin gangs are capable of shutting down London merely by &quotwarring&quot amongst themselves. When one considers that the Urchins are merely one segment of rooftop society, it becomes clear that the power balance is due for a correction at some point in the future. The Topsy King's candidacy would bring street level London face to face with this powerful other world.

5. All of London's elections have featured an especially unusual candidate (Sinning Jenny, Feducci, Slowcake), and one can't get more unusual than the Topsy King.

The Two Urchins in a Coat should be called Mr. Longshanks or &quotOy&quot, when protestors show up they'll (Mr. Longshanks) be protected by their fellow Urchins by a rain of pamphlets from above or you know, throwing rocks or Wild Words.

Yes. Brilliant idea!

Hedonist has increased to 15!Noise has increased to 3!Shadowy is increasing...Persuasive is increasing...Awaiting the arrival of Mr. Longshanks has increased to 4!You've gained a new quality:Scandal at 2.

Solution: Look to Port Carnelian as an example, but spread it out so that your &amp;quotTime Passing in Mayoral Office&amp;quot quality can only increase at 1 CP per day. This solution is not without problems (namely, Port Carnelian), but the problems involved could just be blocked off.

The criticism was that with a PC mayor, there are significant structural challenges to implementing new Mayoral content. This content in the past has included a new opportunity card for the duration of the term, appearances at festivals (Fruits of the Zee and Hallowmas), references in Fate stories (&quotThe Empress' Shadow&quot, most notably, is the fulfillment of Sinning Jenny's campaign promise, while &quotThe Marriage of Feducci&quot was the possible goal of his campaign), and a continued presence in ensuing elections. Furthermore, mayoral candidates have tended to bring new, powerful items into the fold during the Election, along with interesting lore. There are enormous hurdles to implementing any of these with PC mayors.

Sir Wensleydale of Hardwick wrote:

Solution: The way that I look at it, this would be more of giving an idea than the recipient stealing it.

The explicit reason why Failbetter states that its employees rarely look at fan work is to avoid the possibility of an accidental resemblance bringing about legal issues. While the staff has developed ideas from high-paying Kickstarter backers as rewards, there are likely legal documents and agreements that need to be set in place to ensure that the company cannot be sued, and the created character is only a representation, not a literal PC. The Merciless Modiste in Sunless Sea is not NiteBrite. The Merciless Modiste has no Heptagoat, nor has she gone NORTH. She is only a representation of a character, independent but connected. It is very different to have a character named &quotThe Sir of Hardwick&quot run in an election than to have the player &quotSir Wensleydale of Hardwick&quot run in an election.

Sir Wensleydale of Hardwick wrote:

Solution: Make them known. My original idea involved storylet a only open for less than a day. The solution involves that, and afterwards, opening a storylet revealing the candidates, and giving brief descriptions.

You would still have to limit the choice of candidates, censor the descriptions as necessary, and go through the logistical nightmare of sorting all the submissions, and that doesn't include all the time needed to draft, write, and edit the Election event itself.

Sir Wensleydale of Hardwick wrote:

Solution: Look to the beginning of Seeking Mr Eaten's Name. You are told then of what this would entail, and receive an item to let you opt out. The opt-out will be discussed in a second, but definitely let them know what may happen.

That lets anyone who doesn't want to run opt out, but it doesn't address the fundamental social problem of the Election. Have you seen the debates around here? They can get heated. Last year was better (bolstered by the fact that most of the active forum users coalesced around the same candidate), but Election 1895 was heated (not helped by the hostile political atmosphere in the United Kingdom and the United States). People became emotionally involved in the politics of fictional characters. That's not great when it's no longer fictional and we're debating the merits of real people's characters.

Siar Wensleydale of Hardwick wrote:

Solution: The opt-out item mentioned earlier would send a message to Failbetter saying that this mayor has resigned, and letting them create an auto-fire card for the runner-ups. This would require some bit of maintenance, but would be feasible.

&quotSome bit of maintenance&quot is an understatement, especially since Fallen London is essentially already operating on &quotsome bit of maintenance&quot, with bug fixes and updates (such as monthly Exceptional Stories). The current focus of the studio is rightfully on Sunless Skies, and they're still a small, independent company. The gain from investing significant resources into this one thing would need to justify the costs, and I don't see how it does.

Have you seen the debates around here? They can get heated. Last year was better (bolstered by the fact that most of the active forum users coalesced around the same candidate), but Election 1895 was heated (not helped by the hostile political atmosphere in the United Kingdom and the United States).

I'm pretty sure 1896 didn't get overly hot because the mechanics changed. Being an observer in the first week and a participant in the second made the election a much more relaxed affair, as you kind of eased into it. The election story followed a nice, gradual trajectory: meeting the candidates, learning about their platforms, picking a candidate, getting your chosen candidate's secrets, and maybe switching due to said secrets. And scattered throughout you had wry, whimsical little polls asking which candidate you'd rescue from a burning building or have make your bath. Lots of stuff to discuss, not just argue about.

In contrast, 1894 and 1895's mechanics just tossed players into the deep end. Candidates didn't sell themselves as you chose one before really getting their pitch. As you picked a candidate right off the bat, you generally became a partisan right off the bat, all based on nothing more than a first impression. This had a pretty big effect on tone: people began boosting candidates and, having made a decision, were a lot less likely to change their minds (once you make a decision, you're sort of psychologically primed to justify and defend it). But the writers clearly wanted people to switch, as they'd drop status reports and nasty surprise revelations in the second week to shake the race up. But the election reward was based on election career, which strongly incentivized not switching! There were...a lot of contradictions with this system. Psychological and mechanical aspects discouraged switching while story revelations tried to push you to switch - it was like the whole was at war with itself. It encouraged people to shout very loudly and constantly gave them stuff to shout about.

She's a socially accepted nightmare, walking the streets with (nearly) everyone cheering, fainting, crying or running in panic. Maybe it's just me, but the subtle outlining of her second nature gave me the creeps like only Mr Eaten content usually does. She's not a simple werewolf. She's something else, like the rest of the Royal Children. I think it's the masochist in me (and my morbid curiosity), but I'd love to see this played out on the grand scale.

My second proposal is the Soft-hearted Widow. She may be not as exciting as the other characters (until now), but she's the mayor London needs. Since Fallen London is half a fantasy story, its real world problems seem to slip out of everyone's minds.

I know it may not be the ideal ingredient for a gripping story, but where are the real politics? What's up with the parliament? Where is the struggle for the little politcal power that's left? There surely isn't just the Mayor, the Royal Family and the Masters. The Victorian Era was full of exploitation, opportunism, health hazards, wishful thinking, morals, double standards...

Of course a lot of stuff from this highly incomplete list has found its way into the game.But I have this indistinct feeling, that Fallen London is somehow not grimy enough to feel like the real Victorian London.

Yes, you are able to ascend to Her Majesties court. But I don't get the feeling that there was someone who opposed you. No backstabbing, no envy, no competition. Or did I miss these parts? You are a Person Of Some Importance and you have no natural enemies? Now that's a fantasy game.

My personal fascination with the Victorian Era stems (among others) from this battle of this segmented-but-connected society against this dirt and misery. The age of industrialisation was also full of wonders, even for the poorer parts of society, who suffered the most. The boisterouspromises!!! of advertisements, the patronising behaviour of &quotexperts&quot and &quotmoral authorities&quot...

Anyway, before babbling any more, I see the chance that the Soft-hearted Widow is able to bring all this stuff back into consciousness (and into the story). A historical reality check of sorts.

--Dr Jeremiah Oathes - Natural Philosopher, Alchemist and Anatomist (part-time). Occasionally in Service to the Crown and the Bazaar. Would like to dissect a Master (for science and mad laughter).

I would vote for the Soft-Hearted Widow in a heartbeat.I do feel obligated to point out though, that FL talks a lot about the plight of the poor. The Urchins? Spite itself, where you rob drunkards and wretches? The haunted Soldier of our acquaintance? The Docks, where the usual industrialists have been replaced by mr Irons? The people in Watchmaker Hill, making a life hunting rats? Those who join the anarchists to fight injustice, before realizing what it is about? Not to mention the ESs like the Departed or the Heart, the Devil and the Sea. Misery and class warfare is literally everywhere you look.As for your own enemies, you meet them both in the Palace (full of your rivals) and in the profitable Assassing Carousel.

One more reason then, to vote for someone like the Widow!edited by Jolanda Swan on 3/9/2019

The Soft-Hearted Widow also has many depths to explore, such as connections to the [REDACTED] of Knife-and-Candle and her history with the Admiralty and the docks through [spoiler]her husband[/spoiler].

2. The Manager of the Royal Beth. London is one big madhouse, so we need a man with some experience. And charisma. And I wonder what political intrigues he may be up to as [spoiler]May.[/spoiler]edited by JaneAnkhVeos on 4/20/2019

Not enough said, actually. Who? There's not much in the way of named Rubbery Men, and Failbetter has so far shown themselves unlikely to invent characters. So which Rubbery Mayor are you looking for? (That said, the Rubbery Mayor just sounds like an excellent character title.)

JaneAnkhVeos wrote:

2. The Manager of the Royal Beth. London is one big madhouse, so we need a man with some experience.

I'm with Catherine. Fascinating as he is, I think it's fair to say that the Manager is very much out of that game and not likely to return to it. Not but the Powers that Be haven't shown themselves willing to accommodate unusual candidates when there's enough interest, but I for one would find it a huge breach of character.edited by Siankan on 4/20/2019

This is an unusual one, and for good reason.The race would be between Mr Wines, the Topsy King, and the Fidgeting Writer.I was originally going to have the Last Constable here instead of the Topsy King, but decided against it, for two reasons:a) She already has a lot of character and context.b) Depending on what happened, [spoiler] she may be permanently dead of Cantigaster Venom. [/spoiler]Mr Wines seems like a good candidate, except for one thing: they're a Master of the Bazaar, so they already hold much power.The Topsy King seems like a not-so-good candidate at first blush, but then you realize: he practically runs the Flit, and also commands some more petty criminals and urchins.The Fidgeting Writer? Knows about one of the deeper secrets of the Neath. Also, prisoner's honey. Bribery is one way of attaining legal power.

There's a problem here. Generally, in the Neath, we assume that the handles, however prosaic, belong to one person. It's not always requisite--there's nothing in game to say that the Sardonic Music-Hall Singer I'm friends with is the same one that you know--but most of the time these are taken as names, in some cases (e.g. the Implacable Detective) without question.

The Fidgeting Writer, though... whichever way that story ends, it is highly unlikely that the Fidgeting Writer you meet this time around is the same one you helped out (or failed to) last time. And yet you can do that story repeatedly. Ergo, London must have an endless supply of Fidgeting Writers around falling afoul of sinister figures behind mirrors.

I really don think it's in the style of the Masters to take center stage... I mean, the whole point of the Mayor's office was to be a nice distraction for the populace (and maybe create some love stories). Masters running for Mayor just feels really wrong...